An
international oil and gas technology provider has launched a new design of its
multi-award-winning ProfilerTM instrument. The proven technology,
which has been used in separation processing applications the world over for
nearly 15 years, is now available for high temperature processing applications
including refinery desalting and oil sands steam assisted gravity drainage
(SAGD) process plants.

This
exciting new development, produced by Tracerco, part of the FTSE 100 company
Johnson Matthey Plc, makes the ProfilerTM the only instrument in the
world that is specifically designed to measure the vertical distribution of
oil, emulsion, water and solids in high
temperature processing applications such as desalting and SAGD.

The
ProfilerTM’s proven unique ability to show such a high resolution
image of the density profile within a process has made it the instrument of
choice in separation applications from subsea to downstream refining. There
have already been multiple orders for the new high temperature version from
customers in Norway, the UK, Canada and the USA, all seeking to secure the
process control advantages – and the improved production and cost efficiencies
that go with this – in their high temperature process systems.

Unlike
existing point measurement products, this patented instrument is a true
‘window’ into the whole vessel enabling the operator to not only improve
production throughput, but also manage chemical usage and reduce
downtime.

Kim
Thye Lee, Business Director at Tracerco said "Nowadays, within many refineries,
there is a growing tendency to process heavier crudes or blend these with
lighter feed stocks. This can create a number of process control challenges in
the desalter vessel. Tracerco’s ProfilerTM technology has been
extended to now operate at higher temperatures and provides an effective
solution to this problem.”

Kim
Thye Lee added "By using the ProfilerTM, which can operate at up to
194 degrees celcius, it enables customers to increase crude throughput while
providing detailed and accurate results, reducing the costs associated with
chemical dosing and waste water treatment.”

Tracerco
customers who use the ProfilerTM in their desalter applications have
already reported increases to outputs of up to 20,000 barrels per day. This is
possible due to the detailed data allowing plant operators to run the with the
emulsion band level at levels of up to 82%, allowing increased volumetric
throughput in the desalter.

Running
the emulsion at such a high level is made possible due to the detailed
profiling provided by the instrument with an accuracy of +/-1% of the
measurement range, giving the operator confidence to run the level closer to
the electrostatic grid than ever before.

Key benefits of the
Tracerco ProfilerTM include:

Increase
crude throughout.

Ability
to enhance feedstock blend without the need to re-calibrate equipment.

Eliminate
interface excursion upsets and reduce demand on electrostatic grid power
by monitoring and controlling the rag layer.

Reducing
demand on waste water plant and treatment.

High
stability and accuracy across a wide range of process conditions

Zero
radiation dose rate external to the vessel.

Kim
Thye Lee commented, "Our dedicated research and development team enhanced the
ProfilerTM technology for desalter and SAGD processing applications
following feedback from customers, who presented the challenge of needing a
ProfilerTM that could operate at high temperatures for crude oil
refining.”

"We
are extremely proud of the great achievements of Tracerco’s R&D team
because they have worked hard to gain hazardous area certification for a
product that the approval bodies didn’t believe was possible.”